scholarly journals Comparative analysis of European wide marine ecosystem shifts: a large-scale approach for developing the basis for ecosystem-based management

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 484-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Möllmann ◽  
Alessandra Conversi ◽  
Martin Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Ecosystem Based Management ◽  
The North

Abrupt and rapid ecosystem shifts (where major reorganizations of food-web and community structures occur), commonly termed regime shifts, are changes between contrasting and persisting states of ecosystem structure and function. These shifts have been increasingly reported for exploited marine ecosystems around the world from the North Pacific to the North Atlantic. Understanding the drivers and mechanisms leading to marine ecosystem shifts is crucial in developing adaptive management strategies to achieve sustainable exploitation of marine ecosystems. An international workshop on a comparative approach to analysing these marine ecosystem shifts was held at Hamburg University, Institute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science, Germany on 1–3 November 2010. Twenty-seven scientists from 14 countries attended the meeting, representing specialists from seven marine regions, including the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Barents Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Biscay and the Scotian Shelf off the Canadian East coast. The goal of the workshop was to conduct the first large-scale comparison of marine ecosystem regime shifts across multiple regional areas, in order to support the development of ecosystem-based management strategies.

scholarly journals The importance of within-system spatial variation in drivers of marine ecosystem regime shifts

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1659) ◽  
pp. 20130271 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. D. Fisher ◽  
M. Casini ◽  
K. T. Frank ◽  
C. Möllmann ◽  
W. C. Leggett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystems ◽  
The North ◽  
The Baltic

Comparative analyses of the dynamics of exploited marine ecosystems have led to differing hypotheses regarding the primary causes of observed regime shifts, while many ecosystems have apparently not undergone regime shifts. These varied responses may be partly explained by the decade-old recognition that within-system spatial heterogeneity in key climate and anthropogenic drivers may be important, as recent theoretical examinations have concluded that spatial heterogeneity in environmental characteristics may diminish the tendency for regime shifts. Here, we synthesize recent, empirical within-system spatio-temporal analyses of some temperate and subarctic large marine ecosystems in which regime shifts have (and have not) occurred. Examples from the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Bengula Current, North Sea, Barents Sea and Eastern Scotian Shelf reveal the largely neglected importance of considering spatial variability in key biotic and abiotic influences and species movements in the context of evaluating and predicting regime shifts. We highlight both the importance of understanding the scale-dependent spatial dynamics of climate influences and key predator–prey interactions to unravel the dynamics of regime shifts, and the utility of spatial downscaling of proposed mechanisms (as evident in the North Sea and Barents Sea) as a means of evaluating hypotheses originally derived from among-system comparisons.

scholarly journals Marine ecosystem regime shifts: challenges and opportunities for ecosystem-based management

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1659) ◽  
pp. 20130275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip S. Levin ◽  
Christian Möllmann
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Ecosystem Based Management ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Ocean Management ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Status ◽  
Key Aspects

Regime shifts have been observed in marine ecosystems around the globe. These phenomena can result in dramatic changes in the provision of ecosystem services to coastal communities. Accounting for regime shifts in management clearly requires integrative, ecosystem-based management (EBM) approaches. EBM has emerged as an accepted paradigm for ocean management worldwide, yet, despite the rapid and intense development of EBM theory, implementation has languished, and many implemented or proposed EBM schemes largely ignore the special characteristics of regime shifts. Here, we first explore key aspects of regime shifts that are of critical importance to EBM, and then suggest how regime shifts can be better incorporated into EBM using the concept of integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA). An IEA uses approaches that determine the likelihood that ecological or socio-economic properties of systems will move beyond or return to acceptable bounds as defined by resource managers and policy makers. We suggest an approach for implementing IEAs for cases of regime shifts where the objectives are either avoiding an undesired state or returning to a desired condition. We discuss the suitability and short-comings of methods summarizing the status of ecosystem components, screening and prioritizing potential risks, and evaluating alternative management strategies. IEAs are evolving as an EBM approach that can address regime shifts; however, advances in statistical, analytical and simulation modelling are needed before IEAs can robustly inform tactical management in systems characterized by regime shifts.

scholarly journals Trends and Evolution in the Concept of Marine Ecosystem Services: An Overview

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2060
Author(s):  
Elvira Buonocore ◽  
Umberto Grande ◽  
Pier Paolo Franzese ◽  
Giovanni F. Russo
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Policy Dialogue ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

The biotic and abiotic assets of the marine environment form the “marine natural capital” embedded in the global ocean. Marine natural capital provides the flow of “marine ecosystem services” that are directly used or enjoyed by people providing benefits to human well-being. They include provisioning services (e.g., food), regulation and maintenance services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage, and coastal protection), and cultural services (e.g., tourism and recreational benefits). In recent decades, human activities have increased the pressures on marine ecosystems, often leading to ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss and, in turn, affecting their ability to provide benefits to humans. Therefore, effective management strategies are crucial to the conservation of healthy and diverse marine ecosystems and to ensuring their long-term generation of goods and services. Biophysical, economic, and sociocultural assessments of marine ecosystem services are much needed to convey the importance of natural resources to managers and policy makers supporting the development and implementation of policies oriented for the sustainable management of marine resources. In addition, the accounting of marine ecosystem service values can be usefully complemented by their mapping to enable the identification of priority areas and management strategies and to facilitate science–policy dialogue. Given this premise, this study aims to review trends and evolution in the concept of marine ecosystem services. In particular, the global scientific literature on marine ecosystem services is explored by focusing on the following main aspects: the definition and classification of marine ecosystem services; their loss due to anthropogenic pressures, alternative assessment, and mapping approaches; and the inclusion of marine ecosystem services into policy and decision-making processes.

The Statistical Forecasting Models of a Hail for the Western Part of the North Caucasus and the Black Sea Coast Constructed on Output Production of Global System of Forecasts (GFS NCEP)

2018 ◽  
Vol 931 ◽  
pp. 1037-1041
Author(s):  
Arthur Kh. Kagermazov
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Model Data ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
The North ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
Cloud Development ◽  
Gfs Model

Statistical models of the hail forecast are proposed for the two regions of the North Caucasus, developed from the output of the global atmosphere model GFS NCEP. Statistical schemes are obtained as a result of discriminant analysis conducted using statistical software package SPSS. Independent variables in these schemes are the most informative predictors of strong convective cloud development, calculated on the basis of the global GFS model data related to local atmospheric instability and large-scale synoptic processes. Based on the results of the operational audit, the estimates of the success of the hail forecasts according to existing criteria are given, the high values of which assume a reduction in damage from hailstorms, when using them.

scholarly journals Dynamical connections between large marine ecosystems of austral South America based on numerical simulations

Ocean Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Guihou ◽  
Alberto R. Piola ◽  
Elbio D. Palma ◽  
Maria Paz Chidichimo
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variability ◽  
Magellan Strait ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

Abstract. The Humboldt Large Marine Ecosystem (HLME) and Patagonian Large Marine Ecosystem (PLME) are the two largest marine ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere and are respectively located along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of southern South America. This work investigates the exchange between these two LMEs and its seasonal and interannual variability by employing numerical model results and offline particle-tracking algorithms. Our analysis suggests a general poleward transport on the southern region of the HLME, a well-defined flux from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and equatorward transport on the PLME. Lagrangian simulations show that the majority of the southern PS waters originate from the upper layer in the southeast South Pacific (<200 m), mainly from the southern Chile and Cape Horn shelves. The exchange takes place through the Le Maire Strait, Magellan Strait, and the shelf break. These inflows amount to a net northeastward transport of 0.88 Sv at 51∘ S in the southern PLME. The transport across the Magellan Strait is small (0.1 Sv), but due to its relatively low salinity it greatly impacts the density and surface circulation of the coastal waters of the southern PLME. The water masses flowing into the Malvinas Embayment eventually reach the PLME through the Malvinas Shelf and occupy the outer part of the shelf. The seasonal and interannual variability of the transport are also addressed. On the southern PLME, the interannual variability of the shelf exchange is partly explained by the large-scale wind variability, which in turn is partly associated with the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index (r=0.52).

scholarly journals Structural uncertainty in qualitative models for ecosystem-based management of Georges Bank

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1635-1643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Wildermuth ◽  
Gavin Fay ◽  
Sarah Gaichas
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Structural Uncertainty ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Loop Analysis ◽  
Ecosystem Based Management ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Qualitative Models ◽  
Bank System

Quantitative models for marine ecosystem-based management are often constrained by availability of observations. Uncertainty about the underlying system structure can affect model estimates and conclusions about the consequences of management actions. Qualitative models can augment model development for decision-making and may provide an alternative to quantitative assessments. We apply qualitative loop analysis to assess the sensitivity of management outcomes to structural uncertainty within the Georges Bank social–ecological system. Loop analysis uses defined positive or negative relationships between system components to provide inference about cascading effects of pressures on components of management interest. We compare the sensitivity of outcomes from two management strategies in four model structures of the Georges Bank system that investigate trophic and socioeconomic model uncertainty. We summarize system responses to perturbation and compare these responses with a set of management objectives. Models with complex socioeconomic structure estimated positive outcomes more often but with less reliability than simpler models. Our analyses demonstrated trade-offs among habitat objectives for two management strategies, as well as uncertainty about the reliability of outcomes, contingent on model structure.

Causes and Consequences of the Black Sea Ecosystem Pollution with Petroleum Products

2020 ◽  
pp. 29-44
Author(s):  
Bogdan Cioruța ◽  
Diana Mădăras ◽  
Mirela Coman
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Petroleum Products ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Oil Pipeline

Until the beginning of the 21st century concerns related to the management of protected areas have been reduced to the voluntary initiatives of nature lovers, rarely materializing in specific conservation measures carried out by the authorities or administrators of those areas. As the concern for the management of protected areas is relatively new in Romania and the information related to this subject is relatively scarce, especially those regarding marine ecosystems, we considered necessary this study on the management of marine protected areas in relation to oil pollution. Marine protected areas, in particular, delimited as areas where the main purpose is the protection of nature and cultural values, are important for all segments of society. They have great potential to become models of harmonious society development, promoting more than other protected areas the sustainable resource management. At the same time, the management measures promoted, sometimes imposed, can affect the communities inside or in the immediate vicinity of the areas, and can significantly influence the development of the economy. Recently (as a reference 1970-2020), the pollution of the marine environment with petroleum products has gained dramatic accents. The maritime transport of oil, the exploration and exploitation of marine deposits, their processing in refineries located in the vicinity of the coastal area, to which are added other anthropogenic activities, have generated and still generate a number of risk factors, which involve numerous pollution incidents. Navigation accidents of large oil tanks or incidents at offshore drilling rigs caused, in the same period, major environmental disasters, with the most severe consequences. Marine ecosystems in polluted regions have thus suffered major losses and disturbances, which have been felt for a long time. Through this paper we aim to review some aspects of oil pipeline pollution of the Planetary Ocean, respectively the associated pollution in the Black Sea ecosystem. Following the analyzes carried out on the basis of the data from the consulted literature, as well as following other observations, we came to the conclusion that the protected areas associated with the Black Sea, as well as the marine ecosystem itself, are far from being affected by such accidents.

scholarly journals Using indicators for evaluating, comparing, and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. 2. Setting the scene

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunne-Jai Shin ◽  
Lynne J. Shannon ◽  
Alida Bundy ◽  
Marta Coll ◽  
Kerim Aydin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Insufficient Data ◽  
Ecosystem Drivers ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Shin, Y-J., Shannon, L. J., Bundy, A., Coll, M., Aydin, K., Bez, N., Blanchard, J. L., Borges, M. F., Diallo, I., Diaz, E., Heymans, J. J., Hill, L., Johannesen, E., Jouffre, D., Kifani, S., Labrosse, P., Link, J. S., Mackinson, S., Masski, H., Möllmann, C., Neira, S., Ojaveer, H., ould Mohammed Abdallahi, K., Perry, I., Thiao, D., Yemane, D., and Cury, P. M. 2010. Using indicators for evaluating, comparing, and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. 2. Setting the scene. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 692–716. Background is provided to the selection of ecological indicators by the IndiSeas Working Group, and the methodology adopted for analysis and comparison of indicators across exploited marine ecosystems is documented. The selected indicators are presented, how they are calculated is explained, and the philosophy behind the comparative approach is given. The combination of selected indicators is intended to reflect different dynamics, tracking processes that display differential responses to fishing, and is meant to provide a complementary means of assessing marine ecosystem trends and states. IndiSeas relied on inputs and insights provided by the local experts from participating ecosystems, helping to understand state and trend indicators and to disentangle the effect of other potential ecosystem drivers, such as climate variability. This project showed that the use of simple and available indicators under an ecosystem approach can achieve a real, wide-reaching evaluation of marine ecosystem status caused by fishing. This is important because the socio-economics of areas where fishing activities develop differs significantly around the globe, and in many countries, insufficient data are available for complex and exhaustive analyses.

scholarly journals EMPOWER-1.0: an Efficient Model of Planktonic ecOsystems WrittEn in R

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 2231-2262 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Anderson ◽  
W. C. Gentleman ◽  
A. Yool
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Parameter Tuning ◽  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Model Structure ◽  
Structural Sensitivity ◽  
The North ◽  
Preliminary Model

Abstract. Modelling marine ecosystems requires insight and judgement when it comes to deciding upon appropriate model structure, equations and parameterisation. Many processes are relatively poorly understood and tough decisions must be made as to how to mathematically simplify the real world. Here, we present an efficient plankton modelling testbed, EMPOWER-1.0 (Efficient Model of Planktonic ecOsystems WrittEn in R), coded in the freely available language R. The testbed uses simple two-layer "slab" physics whereby a seasonally varying mixed layer which contains the planktonic marine ecosystem is positioned above a deep layer that contains only nutrient. As such, EMPOWER-1.0 provides a readily available and easy to use tool for evaluating model structure, formulations and parameterisation. The code is transparent and modular such that modifications and changes to model formulation are easily implemented allowing users to investigate and familiarise themselves with the inner workings of their models. It can be used either for preliminary model testing to set the stage for further work, e.g. coupling the ecosystem model to 1-D or 3-D physics, or for undertaking front line research in its own right. EMPOWER-1.0 also serves as an ideal teaching tool. In order to demonstrate the utility of EMPOWER-1.0, we implemented a simple nutrient–phytoplankton–zooplankton–detritus (NPZD) ecosystem model and carried out both a parameter tuning exercise and structural sensitivity analysis. Parameter tuning was demonstrated for four contrasting ocean sites, focusing on station BIOTRANS in the North Atlantic (47° N, 20° W), highlighting both the utility of undertaking a planned sensitivity analysis for this purpose, yet also the subjectivity which nevertheless surrounds the choice of which parameters to tune. Structural sensitivity tests were then performed comparing different equations for calculating daily depth-integrated photosynthesis, as well as mortality terms for both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Regarding the calculation of daily photosynthesis, for example, results indicated that the model was relatively insensitive to the choice of photosynthesis–irradiance curve, but markedly sensitive to the method of calculating light attenuation in the water column. The work highlights the utility of EMPOWER-1.0 as a means of comprehending, diagnosing and formulating equations for the dynamics of marine ecosystems.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document